Brisbane-based writer, producer, and director Clare Sladden will benefit from the guidance of renowned US showrunner Bradford Winters in developing a new drama series after being selected for the final component of a Screen Queensland writers’ initiative.
Delivered in conjunction with Winters (The Sinner, Berlin Station, The Americans), the week-long Bradford Winters Series Lab comprised five participants, who were invited to pitch their concepts to Netflix, Stan, or SBS executives for feedback.
Sladden will now assemble a five-day writers’ room to apply feedback from the pitch experience to create a pilot script for her series Pathological, as well as a bible to present to the market.
Pathological, follows the story of Claudia, a ruthless, sociopathic lawyer who, after the removal of a brain tumor, acquires a new sense of empathy and must navigate a dangerous corporate conspiracy to protect a teenage runaway from a contract kill Claudia orchestrated previously.
Sladden, whose recent credits include the upcoming Stan Original series Eden, said she was “enormously grateful and very humbled” to be given the opportunity to work with Winters.
“Over the course of the lab, Brad’s skill and experience, combined with the generosity and openness of the other participants meant all of our projects saw significant development, which was such a brilliant outcome for all involved,” she said.
Winters congratulated Sladden together with other lab participants Johnny Moubarak, Rachael S. Morgan, David Peterson, and Meg O’Connell.
“I’m grateful to all five participants in the series lab for their individual diligence and collective goodwill to help each other maximise the potential of every project that we workshopped,” he said.
“I’m delighted with the choice of Clare Sladden who came to the program highly prepared and no less inspired.
“In Pathological, Clare has combined a high-concept psychological thriller with a female-forward character drama that hits a very sweet spot in today’s industry.”
If a broadcaster picks up the series, Screen Queensland has committed to co-financing its development.
Chief creative officer Jo Dillon described Sladden’s series as an “outstanding project for further development”.
“Pathological is an absorbing, original story with fantastic potential to appeal to a global audience hungry for premium, binge-able drama with a strong female protagonist.
“Partnering with Bradford Winters for this initiative is a great example of Screen Queensland’s commitment to opening doors for Queensland writing talent.”